Thailand students caught in high-tech cheating scam

University calls for laws to prosecute students and criminals who use gadgets such as smartwatches to cheat in exams.

12 May 2016 08:34 GMT

A leading private university in Thailand is calling for a change in the law to prosecute students who cheat and the criminals who help them.

The call comes after the discovery of unusual high-tech cheating methods used by three female medical students.

Bangkok's Rangsit University cancelled its examinations on Saturday and Sunday for admission to its medical and dental faculties after the discovery of the methods, such as embedded cameras and smartwatches with stored information.

While cheating has long been a problem in Thai schools and colleges, the use of high-tech gear has taken the practice to a new level.

The cameras were used to take pictures of the test sheet and the smartwatches to receive answers from someone outside.

A a set of glasses with a hidden camera used by students caught cheating in exams [Pakarat Jumpanoi/Rangsit University via AP]

Three students were caught by university staff overseeing the exam on Saturday. The next day three more were caught, but they were not trying to get into the university.

Officials said the students were part of a group that is charging students thousands of dollars for exam answers.

Thailand does not have a law to prosecute students who cheat - something Rangsit University wants changed.

"Exam cheating is not a minor offence. It's the start of other criminal offences," university administrator Kittisak Tripipatpornchai told Al Jazeera.

"If we don't have law or tough measures to deal with this, our education system will never be competitive with other countries."

Educators say cheating has flourished because of an education system that makes exam scores the only criterion for assessing a student's ability and granting admission into places of higher learning.

A smartwatch used by students caught cheating in exams [Pakarat Jumpanoi/Rangsit University via AP]